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CHAPTER - 2
Daniel Defoe’s “Moll Flander’s” as an early feminist novel
A close analysis on it’s relation with feminism
Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flander’s is a novel which is seemingly feminist in its elements.
The most striking and unusual features about “Moll Flander’s” is its female protagonist.
The naration of the story is done by a headstrong, independent women. Defoe,
who is also a male in gender, it is a challenge for him to realistically and fairly
depicting the plight of a woman through first person narration. Its a challenge that Defoe seems almost very uncomfortable with taking on as evidenced in the preface written
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The patriachal system of the society and its
resulting misogynm are present in the novel, but with the presence of feminist elements,
it depicts the vast unjust place of women in 18th century society. Defoe refines and
redefines for the later authors and intellectuals the phenomenon of feminism with a
naunced, head strong and intelligent heroine, and while patriachal prejudices of Defoe’s
17th century upbringing leak through into his novel, Moll Flander’s. These prejudices
further serve to highlight the overwhelming feminist elements of the novel.
To understand the complex treatment of women in Moll Flander’s, let us discuss
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Defoe’s other works regarding women, namely his essay, “The Education of Women”. As the title suggests, it is a short essay which gives an arguement in favour of the womens education. Here, Defoe makes an arguement that he can see no reason to keep women
away from being educated except for men’s fear that they may have to compete
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She lied not only to her son but also lied to her
husband as well. This suggests nothing but a subversion to the patriarchal system. She
also suggests that she would actually be better off without a husband although she is
married. It also seems that at a certain point she depends on her son that she had from
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her mistaken marriage with her own brother for monetary support, it is important to also note that it is actually her own biological mother who left Moll the estate which her son is looking after. Towards the end, Moll finally rises up to wealth and life as a ‘penitent’ by returning to the patriarchal system but she did not leave behind her feminist
character.
After about two hundred years of the publication of Moll Flander’s, Virginia
Woolf, one of the greatest female modernist writer, lauded the novel as an
underappreciated feminist work. She says that the novel is “indisputably great”. Woolf
goes on to say:
“The advocates of women’s rights would hardly care, perhaps, to
once married, women lost all property rights to her husband (did not matter how rich or how poor they were
In the documents it also states, “…but the chances are that she, her husband and her children will suffer psychological damage, and she will be basically an unhappy women.” Her opinion on this statement is that a women’s family wouldn’t suffer of psychological because women is not the only parent in a family. The father in the family should also be involved with their kids.
and biological father was of poor quality. In the book she describes the Negro living quarters on
him. In this story women are more so portrayed as object rather than women. As if, the only job
As Clive Emsly explained in The Old Bailey Proceedings, in the eighteenth century, men were viewed as the stronger sex. They were expected to be tougher, both physically and emotionally, to have determination and will. Men were to be logical thinkers and erudite, they had to dominate their households and provide for their families. By the nineteenth century, historians argue that even though women began to experience more freedom in the workforce, they were still confined socially. Men were still expected to lead their households and be “breadwinners.” For many years, men dominated almost every aspect of society. However, in the past few decades, a movement known as feminism emerged. The feminist movement fought for women’s rights to an education and equality. Women longed for an opportunity to gain knowledge and freedom to seek adventure. In recent years, more so than ever, the feminist movement has made great advances. It has instigated a shift in gender roles and constructs forever altering how society views women and men.
her husband, but in this letter she seems to be very distressed and worried. She
fact that a person is a woman is still shown to be a disadvantage when
Gender roles are a staple construct of human civilization, designating the behaviors and lifestyles that society expects out of its participants, with gender as the defining characteristic. Historically, females have been at the forefront of the conversation, with feminism regarded as the principal solution to the well-established issue of gender inequality. However, this is foolish. To truly mend the gender inequalities forged by thousands of years of human interaction, both genders have to be acknowledged. Both males and females are equally constrained by gender roles, however the effects of this constraint are in differing fields. There are studies showing that females are at a disadvantage economically, in the workplace, while other studies
The perception the public has had on the role of men and women is outdated and has been for some time, but public attitudes change slowly even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Gender plays a big part in life, it is supposed to give a purpose in life, but why? Explaining the severity of knowing why men and women are equal is one step to rebuilding society and the future. The second step is to actually make these changes happen. Gender Equality is something that every human being should strive for, as well understanding gender roles and how these two really affect our developed and developing countries. Each gender has the power to make a change for oneself and their rights, but coming together we can make an effective change for future
A significant part of the examination and approach in feminist studies of men has been critical of men 's forcefulness and brutality, however there is a space where men are indicating sustaining abilities and eagerness to take part in the domestic obligations with the women in their lives (Lorber, 2012, p.271) For instance, in the film Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin William 's character Daniel is unable to see his kids. In order to connect with them he is compelled to dress as a lady, and becomes employed in an occupation where a male figure would not be utilized. The involvement in the child’s life aids to reclaim fatherhood and help alter the view people have on men in general. Moreover, men themselves have already begun the push to alter masculinity. For example, a video shown in lecture demonstrates, men in Japan, transforming masculinity through herbivorous ways. Instead of conforming to the stereotypical male – aggressive, tough, strong – they change the way in which they act focusing on the ways in which they look in terms of their fashion etc. thus undermining hegemonic masculine ideals. It highlights many Asian women’s dissatisfaction with conventional male roles/behaviours while likewise signalling a growing desire in Asian men for a less aggressive and corporate lifestyle (Talahite – Moodley,
From the beginning of time, females have played a powerful role in the shaping of this world. They have stood by idly and watched as this country moved on without them, and yet they have demanded equal rights as the nation rolls along. Through the years the common belief has been that women could not perform as well as men in anything, but over the years that belief has been proven wrong time and time again. So as time marches on, women have clawed and fought their way up the ladder to gain much needed equal respect from the opposite sex. However, after many years of pain and suffering, the battle for equal rights has not yet been won. Since women have fought for a long time and proven their importance in society, they deserve the same rights as men.
Her thoughts and decisions are anything but just and ethically correct. She has not been fully experiencing the joy that marriage should have brought. She felt the death of her husband as the beginging of her new world. Her dream and excitement of entering
A common theme often portrayed in literature is the individual vs. society. In the beginning of Robinson Crusoe , the narrator deals with, not society, but his family's views on how he was bound to fail in life if his parents' expectations of him taking the family business were not met. However, Defoe's novel was somewhat autobiographical. "What Defoe wrote was intimately connected with the sort of life he led, with the friends and enemies he made, and with the interests of natural to a merchant and a Dissenter" (Sutherland 2). These similarities are seen throughout the novel. "My father...gave me serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design," says Crusoe (Defoe 8-9) . Like Crusoe, Defoe also rebelled against his parents. Unlike Crusoe, however, Defoe printed many essays and papers that rebelled against the government and society, just as Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, did in England by depicting society languishing in social malaise (Marowski 231). It were these writings that eventually got Defoe charged with libel and imprisoned (DIScovering Authors). In Defoe's life it was the ministry that his father wanted him to pursue (Sutherland 2), but, instead, Defoe chose to become a tradesman (DIScovering Biography). The depth of the relationship between Crusoe and his parents in the book was specifically not elaborated upon because his parent's become symbolic not only of all parents, but of society. In keeping this ambiguous relationship, Defoe is able to make Crusoe's abrupt exodus much more believable and, thus, more humane.
In the majority, cases are all about unfair and discrimination against women. Women bear the responsibility of doing housework no matter she has to work or not; Old and married women have less job and promotion opportunity; Women get a lower salary for same job; and there is occupation ceiling for women, they can hardly reach the high position in their working live. However, men are unequally treated to some extent in some cases, as what we presented in our previous pages, not all of them have paternity leave. Gender inequality and discrimination not simply affect the rights of both gender, they influence what they can get in society. More important is the influence on their mind and feeling. Inequality causes stress and anxiety. Laws help preventing the situation of inequality. And we think that education is more effective to solve the problem of inequality. We have to change our mind that men are the dominator of our world. Family, school and society should educate the new generation well. Although men are physically stronger, it doesn’t mean that they are more competent is every field. Therefore, both genders should be equally
Daniel Defoe tells tale of a marooned individual in order to criticize society. By using the Island location, similar to that of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Defoe is able to show his audience exactly what is necessary for the development of a utopian society. In The Tempest, the small society of Prospero's island addresses the aspects of morality, the supernatural and politics in the larger British society. In Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, the island's natural surroundings highlights the subject of man's individual growth, both spiritually and physically. Nature instantly exercises its power and control over man in the tropical storm that leads to the wreckage of Crusoe's ship. "The fury of the sea" (Defoe, 45) thrusts Crusoe to the shores of the uninhabited "Island of Despair" (Defoe, 70). Isolated on the island, Crusoe is challenged to use his creativity in order to survive.